Gatto was a star at Goldman Sachs and Lehman Brothers and was most recently the Chairman of Investment Banking at Barclays Capital Americas until retiring a year ago.

Gatto rose to Goldman partner in 1994 during his 20-year career at that bank before leaving to become chairman of global M&A at Lehman in 2005.

He helped make Goldman the top M&A banker in consumer products while he was there and while at Lehman and then at Barclays, Gatto continued to be involved in major consumer deals. Among the deals on his resume: Unilever’s $25 billion purchase of Bestfoods, Pepsi’s $3.3 billion purchase of Tropicana; 3G Capital’s $4.2 billion buyout of Burger King; and the $8.4 billion Miller Coors joint venture.

Gatto worked with Perella Weinberg co-founder Peter Weinberg in the Goldman M&A practice. In a release, Weinberg says he has known Gatto for 25 years and that he “has exceptional transaction skills developed through advising on many of the most significant deals in the consumer industry. His expertise and deep client relationships in the sector will further strengthen and enhance our franchise.”

About Deal Journal

Deal Journal is an up-to-the-minute take on the deals and deal makers that shape the landscape of Wall Street, including mergers and acquisitions, capital-raising, private equity and bankruptcy. In short, wherever money changes hands. Deal Journal is updated throughout each trading day with exclusive commentary, analysis, data, news flashes and profiles. The Wall Street Journal’s David Benoit is the lead writer, with contributions from other Journal reporters and editors. Send news items, comments and questions to deals@wsj.com.

Dealpolitik is Ronald Barusch's strategic look at deals currently making the headlines as well as the major forces at work in the deal-making world. He was a M&A lawyer with Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom for over 30 years. He retired in 2010 after 25 years as a partner at the firm. Click here for his current and archived columns.

David Petraeus, the former director of the Central Intelligence Agency and a retired military general, has signed court papers indicating he will plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge of mishandling classified information in exchange for a prosecutor’s recommendation he serve no jail time.